Fragrant apples and pears sautéed in butter are an easy way to elevate your breakfast or dessert in just a few minutes. The fruit softens beautifully while still retaining its texture, and thanks to the cinnamon, vanilla, and a little sugar, it takes on a subtle caramel flavor. You can serve the finished mixture while it’s still warm as a topping for pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, or French toast. It’s also great with yogurt, quark, or cottage cheese, and once cooled, it works well in overnight oats.
Finished in 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Difficulty simple
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple
- 1 firm pear
- 15 g butter
- 2 tablespoons of coconut or cane sugar (or to taste, depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or a pinch of ground vanilla
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Method
- Wash the apples and pears, remove the cores, and cut them into small cubes or thin wedges. You don't need to peel them.
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the fruit and cook over medium heat for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and, if desired, a pinch of salt.
- Stir and let it caramelize slightly for another 2 minutes.
- Add a few tablespoons of water to the fruit. If you want it softer, cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer briefly for 2–4 minutes. Then uncover the pan and let any excess liquid reduce.
- Taste it, and depending on how sweet the fruit is, you can add honey or maple syrup at the end. Serve warm, or let it cool and store it in the fridge. Once cooled, you can also add the fruit to overnight oats. Either mix it right into the oats or layer it on top of your breakfast along with yogurt. The juice released during baking will flavor the oats beautifully and naturally sweeten them.
Possible options
No added sugar
Use well-ripened fruit and add just a little water. Cinnamon and vanilla will bring out its natural sweetness even more.
Vegan option
Replace the butter with coconut oil or a plant-based butter substitute.
The Crunchy Version
Finally, add chopped walnuts or pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, or homemade granola.
A Fragrant Winter Version
Add a pinch of cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or gingerbread spice to the cinnamon. Grated orange zest also works wonderfully.
With dried fruit
Add a handful of raisins or dried cranberries along with the water. They’ll soak up the fruit juice and become pleasantly soft.
Cream Version
Stir a teaspoon of almond or peanut butter into the finished mixture. This will create a thicker sauce that’s especially good on pancakes, waffles, and porridge.
Storage
Transfer the cooled fruit to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 2–3 days, ideally. You can serve it cold or warm it briefly in a saucepan or microwave. If the mixture thickens too much while stored, simply add a tablespoon of water when reheating.
Tips and tricks
- Use firmer pears. Very ripe fruit will fall apart quickly in the pan. If the pears are softer than the apples, add them to the pan 2–3 minutes later.
- For more pronounced caramelization, place the fruit in a pan that's large enough and don't stir it too often.
- Adjust the amount of sugar depending on how ripe the fruit is. If you're using sweet apples and pears, you can leave it out entirely. Add the honey toward the end so it doesn't burn unnecessarily.
- For a fresher taste, add a few drops of lemon juice.
Nutritional information
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